I personally loved both KOTOR games, between the four members of my family we have about 60 KOTOR saves and over 100 KOTOR 2 saves. There are more KPTOR 2 save just because you really had to play the game four time (LS Male, LS Female, DS Male, DS Female) to get the full impact of the game. I also really enjoyed the influence system in KOTOR 2.
I’ll be the first to admit that KOTOR was a more complete game than the sequel. That had more to do with Lucas than it did Obsidian. Lucas Arts wanted KOTOR 2 finished in time for the holidays and that pushed up the release by about 3 to 6 months. The result was a game that had an incomplete storyline and was full of bugs. I think KOTOR 2 could’ve been spectacular just based on what I’ve seen of the cut material. It was set to be very dark and very discouraging just like ESB was. Then the deadline was moved up and the fleshed out storylines and endings for most of the characters were replaced by Kreia’s predictions. There was a great deal cut including:
- An entire planet that was the base of operations for the assassin droids. The removal of this planet resulted in an incomplete HK-50 sub-plot as well as reduced stories for HK-47, T3 and GO-TO.
- Violent endings for most of the Exile’s companions based on influence. So if you were LS and had high influence with Brianna Visas would kill her out of jealousy.
- Areas in the Military Base on Telos and on Nar Shadda were removed.
- The list goes on, look up the KOTOR 2 restoration project for more details.
It’s unfortunate that economics figure so prominently into game development. The sad truth is that a more respected developer like Bioware would’ve had the clout to tell Lucas Arts to hold their horses, but Obsidian was not a mature developer when KOTOR 2 hit the streets. NO matter who develops KPTPR 3 I hope they are given ample time to finish the project. I’d rather wait a few extra months for a complete game than have a buggy game a little early.